Spatial and temporal analysis of black carbon aerosols in Istanbul megacity

Huseyin Ozdemir, Luca Pozzoli, Tayfun Kindap, Goksel Demir, Bulent Mertoglu, Nikos Mihalopoulos, Christina Theodosi, Maria Kanakidou, Ulas Im, Alper Unal*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Black carbon (BC) is an important component of particulate matter due to its effects on human health and climate. In this study, we present the first BC concentrations measured in the Istanbul megacity (~15million inhabitants). Two measurement campaigns have been conducted to measure BC and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations at four locations, characterized by different traffic densities. In the first campaign, BC daily mean concentrations have been found to be between 4μg/m3 and 10μg/m3. In the second campaign, BC and PM2.5 have been measured at the site with the highest traffic density for an entire year. Annually averaged BC contributes by 38±14% to the PM2.5 levels (annual average BC: 13μg/m3 and PM2.5: 36μg/m3). Diurnal variations of BC concentrations followed those of traffic density (correlation coefficient of 0.87). These measurements are essential to identify the sources of BC and PM2.5 concentrations in Istanbul and develop mitigation measures.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)451-458
Number of pages8
JournalScience of the Total Environment
Volume473-474
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2014

Keywords

  • Black carbon
  • Exposure
  • Fine particulate matter
  • Megacity
  • Traffic

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